


Hot Rods and Hearts

by silvermyth



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Classic Cars, Fast Cars, Gen, M/M, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2015-06-27
Packaged: 2018-04-06 11:43:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4220418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvermyth/pseuds/silvermyth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Axel convinces his best friend Roxas to accompany him on a 7-day long road trip slash traveling car show, despite the blond's disinterest. Roxas meets some of Axel's car friends from Organization XIII, with varying levels of acceptance. Adventure ensues, filled with fast cars, weather issues, hotel mix-ups, and drama. Future AkuRoku, rated M for future chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Need for Speed

**Author's Note:**

> My first attempt at fanfic in ages, and my first attempt at KH fanfic. This is heavily inspired by my recent family vacation on Hot Rod Magazine's Power Tour. Fair warning, there's a lot of car-related stuff in here, but I intend to temper it, I swear! Rated M for future chapters.

**Hot Rods and Hearts  
Chapter 1: ** _Need for Speed_

"Roxaaasss!" Axel's voice rang out across the street, reaching the blond before the redhead himself. Roxas raised an eyebrow as his friend bounded over the crosswalk.

"Axeeeel," Roxas mocked, squinting his blue eyes up at the taller man. "Hey, what's up?"

Axel swung in step with Roxas as the continued down the sidewalk, heading towards Roxas' apartment. "Hot Rod Power Tour. Let's do it."

"What? What are you talking about?" he asked quizzically.

"Hot. Rod. Power. Tour." Axel cut in front of his friend and bent down so their eyes met levelly. "Got it memorized?"

"I heard what you said," Roxas smirked, pushing past. "I meant, what is it and why do you want to do it?"

"It's a road trip plus traveling car show!" Axel enthused. "I read about it last month. You know, in that magazine I get. Hot Rod Magazine, duh. Seven cities in seven days, with tons of sponsors and lots of crazy fun shit to do! Last year they had one stop where you can do a drag race in your own car, another stop with autocross. And they give out lots of free shit, and-"

Roxas sighed. "I'm really not into that kind of stuff like you, man."

Unperturbed, Axel laughed. "So? Wouldn't it be fun to go on a road trip with your old buddy Axel?" He smiled winningly, baring his teeth a little more than was necessary.

"Do you want a serious answer to that?" Roxas asked, although he was laughing, too. "When is it?"

Axel held his hand up in front of them, two fingers up. "Two weeks! Just enough time for you to request off from work, right?"

Roxas groaned. "Sure, but what about all the other details? Like hotels, food, you know, stuff like that you have to plan for in advance."

"All taken care of," Axel waved a hand dismissively.

Roxas stopped and crossed his arms over his chest. "You've been planning this for a while, haven't you." It was a statement, not a question. "Without even talking to me, you just assumed I'd go with you," he accused. "You know that car shit bores me, Axel."

"Maaaaaybe," the redhead drawled, mussing his long spikes with a hand. "But it'll be fun for you too, I promise," he pleaded.

Roxas started walking again, arms still crossed. "It better be," he grumbled. Axel let out an excited whoop, knowing he'd succeeded. Not that he'd expected anything else from his best friend. He might put up a fight, but in the end, Roxas always had fun whenever Axel suggested some new, crazy idea. "How long have you been planning it, anyway?"

Axel only grinned and winked.

o - o - o

"Pack light!" Axel called into Roxas' room, two weeks later. He was leaning against a wall in Roxas' kitchen. "My car is small, and there's gonna be a cooler in the trunk taking up space, plus my stuff. And we need to leave room in case we win anything nice." They were leaving the next day to make the short trek to Madison, WI, where the tour began this year, so they were packing tonight.

Roxas stuck his head into the hall, blond hair spiked haphazardly. "Why do you have to have such a small car, anyway?" he grumbled. Day trips were fine in the little sports car, but the idea of spending hours on end in the cramped space was a little less appealing the closer they got to the actual event.

"Because it's _sexy_ ," Axel chirped, feigning offense. Axel's car was a 2014 Dodge Challenger Hellcat, he'd made Roxas memorize it, gunmetal grey with red stripes going down the sides. It was powerful and fast, and definitely not very practical, but he didn't care. Axel had scraped together all his resources to get it, and it was his baby. He loved to show it off and polish it until it gleamed. Roxas was fine with his Toyota. It got him where he needed to go, and that's all he asked from a car. He'd never understood Axel's love of cars, but he couldn't fault the redhead for having a passion. Roxas' own love was rugby, and he always got riled up watching the All Blacks games.

"Just don't fuck the car, or you're on your own," Roxas muttered, returning to his room.

"Too late," Axel shot back. "I stroked it all day long to get it so pretty for tomorrow."

Roxas rolled his eyes as he finished packing. "Weirdo."

"By the way, we're moving out at 7:30 tomorrow morning. I've got a few friends we're meeting so we can drive all our Challengers out together. It'll be a sexy Challenger convoy."

"You have other friends?" Roxas teased.

"Yes, Roxy, I have other friends. Since you won't go with me to the car shows, I gotta find someone to talk to." Axel poked his head in Roxas' fridge. "You want me to pack any of these drinks in my cooler? I've got waters and Gatorade, not much soda, though."

Roxas appeared at his door again, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. "Sure, grab a couple. I think I'm all packed, otherwise." Axel nodded. To save time, Roxas was going to stay the night at Axel's place, so they could head straight out together in the morning. Roxas didn't mind the futon in the living room, the classy loft was practically his second home, so it had been an easy decision.

Axel began pulling bottles from the fridge, and let out a sudden exclamation. "Yes, oh Captain, my Captain!" and brandished the bottle of rum. "And my old buddy Jack!"

"Axel!" Roxas whined, "Those are my reserves!" Axel pushed his lower lip out in a false pout. "We can swing by the liquor store on the way to your place."

"Yeah, but it's not as special as Roxy's Reserves."

Roxas gave him a dubious look. "You're the reason I need to have reserves. You keep drinking my booze." The blond didn't add that Axel could better afford to buy the alcohol. "Anyway, the trip is your idea, so you have to supply the alcohol."

The taller man heaved a sigh. "Fine, fine, fair enough." He placed the bottles back in the fridge with a small wave as he closed the door. "Bye-bye, friends." Roxas rolled his eyes at the melodramatic performance. Axel snapped straight. "Ok, all set?" The blond nodded, got a thumbs up from his friend, who spun on his heel and led the way out of Roxas' small apartment. "Next stop, booze run!"

True to his word, Axel stopped at a liquor store a couple blocks from his loft, Roxas trailing behind as the redhead snagged fresh bottles of rum and whiskey. A two liter of coke joined the purchase, and a six-pack "for the loft," according to Axel. As it turned out, "for the loft" meant they were to drink it that night, and the two friends drank most of the beer over delivery pizza before turning in for the night.

o - o – o

The next morning dawned grey and gloomy, with a light rain. Axel grumbled. "I hope this shit clears up soon. Glad I put that rain-x on the windshield, though."

Roxas grunted noncommittally as he tried to smooth his unruly hair. As per usual, no matter how much he fussed with it, it resisted and stuck up rebelliously in a mess of spikes. Axel's hair was spiked intentionally, Roxas' unwillingly. Go figure. He'd long given up on spending more than ten minutes on the task, and even hair products had proven unsuccessful. He swept his hand down over his head one last time before letting it have its way. He wasn't so particular about it, after all.

Axel on the other hand…his red hair had been dyed a brilliant, fire-engine red, a color he maintained religiously. The spikes managed to stay in shape with only a minor amount of product. They weren't as stiff as they looked, and when Axel ran his hand back through his hair, it was like wind through the grass. Roxas had to admit, watching the taller man pack the rest of their things into his car, that it made quite a sight. His red spikes were nearly identical in color to the red stripes on his car, and he wore a matching shirt, a dark grey affair with a red design, over red jeans. Roxas wore a white shirt with a checkered black accent, and black jeans.

"Those checkers will fit right in," Axel commented, taking in the shorter boy's attire. "They'll think you're into racing."

Roxas plucked at the design. "I hope no one tries to talk to me about it, I don't know a whole lot about race cars."

Axel grinned. "We'll go fast so you can learn a little."

Roxas groaned. "Just don't get us killed, please."

The redhead winked. "If I do, at least we'll go out with style." The younger man ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. "Don't worry, I'll be careful," Axel patronized. "Is that everything?"

"Yeah that's it." Roxas slid into the passenger side, settling a messenger bag on his lap. It contained a beat-up laptop and a few other things he liked to have on hand. There was another smallish bag in the back seat with Axel's stuff, and a smaller cooler on the floor for easy access.

Axel slid into his seat with a practiced ease and turned the engine. He grinned over at Roxas as he revved the engine, pulling away from the curb with a slight squeal of tires. "We'll burn a trail."

Roxas only muttered, "This better be fun," as they headed out.

After a short drive, they pulled into a parking lot, where two cars similar to Axel's were already parked. One was red, another blue. After he parked in the spot next to them, Axel pointed at the red one, "That one's Larxene, and the blue one is Demyx," he said, pointing to the other one. "Zexion is riding with Demyx. I think you might like him, he's kind of like you, not really into cars that much." Roxas nodded, filing the names away. "We should have another five Challengers coming, I think, and there's a smaller group of Mustangs joining us tomorrow." Roxas couldn't see much through the narrow windows of the other cars besides a flash of dun hair for Larxene, and blond and slate for Demyx and Zexion.

"I never saw more than two of these kinds of cars at once before," Roxas mused, as a black one pulled up on their right, this one with a dark grey stripe where Axel's red stripes were.

Axel grinned. "You'll see more than your fill before the week is up! That's Xigbar there." With a closer view, Roxas could see the man had long, greying hair pulled into a ponytail, and a wicked scar down his left cheek. As the man turned to wave, Roxas was startled to see the black eyepatch. He glanced at Axel with a question, who was returning the wave, but before he could ask, Axel said, "He's a vet. Got those in Vietnam or something. Just don't ask about it, you never know if you'll get a damn long story or just piss him off."

The next car to pull up was solid yellow, and Roxas saw a pair of young women in the car as it passed in front of their growing line. He hadn't expected to see so many girls, and was beginning to think that maybe this wasn't such a bad idea, after all.

"Kairi and her cousin, Namine," Axel supplied as they joined the group. A minute later, he added, "Xaldin and Saix," as a purple car started a second line behind the first. Within the next ten minutes, two more had showed up. Roxas was beginning to wish he'd brought a notebook to keep everyone straight, especially since he hadn't actually met anyone yet; the rain was keeping everyone inside their respective vehicles. There was another red, this one with a custom poker design on the back panels, driven by a Luxord, and a fuchsia car with a pink-haired guy, Marluxia.

"I think this is everyone," Axel said to Roxas. He picked up a little walkie-talkie that Roxas hadn't noticed before, in the cup holder. "Hey Shooter, is this everyone?" Roxas could see the scarred man in the car next to them respond on his own radio.

"This is it. If everyone's ready, I'll set the pace." His voice was smooth, not a gruff sound like Roxas had expected.

A girl's voice came over the radio, "Paopu ready."

A gravelly voice followed: "Gambler ready."

A deep woman's voice, "Lightning ready."

Axel spoke over the rain of incoming radio signals, informing Roxas that, "We all use radio handles. Because why the hell not?" He grinned, and Roxas just rolled his eyes, thinking it was a little silly. But who was he to judge?

"Dahlia ready," was the last voice to come in before Xigbar confirmed. There was a dull roar as each vehicle came to life, Axel turning his own engine over with a flourish. Xigbar's black pulled out first, and their group fell into a line of matching models, each a different paint scheme, and, Axel informed, each with personalized plates that reflected their call signs. Axel took his place about midway in the group.

"Autobots, roll out!" Axel called out over the radio, voice serious, despite the huge grin on his face.

Roxas punched him in the shoulder. "You're such a nerd sometimes, you know that?"

Axel laughed, "Yeah, and?"

"Pyro, you're a dumbass," the woman's voice called over the radio.

"We can't all be a ray of sunshine like you, Lightning," Axel replied sarcastically. To Roxas he said, "She's kind of a bitch, Larxene, but Kairi and Namine are friends with her, and those two are so nice we can't say no when they say she comes with. She knows her shit, though."

As their eight-car convoy took a looping ramp onto the highway, Roxas could see them all stretched out ahead and behind, and couldn't help but think that it looked pretty cool, after all. It was like a mobile car show, even in the rain. Maybe he didn't care too much for the car scene, but this was a sight not seen every day.

The first hour or so of the drive was fairly uneventful, with gently rolling fields and sleepy little towns falling steadily behind them, making the drive pleasant. On hills and curves, Axel would get excited and whoop at the sight of the rest of their convoy stretching out before them, and Roxas would roll his eyes, even though he secretly found it amusing. Occasionally another muscle car or two would fall into line with them for a while, before splitting off at a rest stop. Some of the little towns' residents had turned out, parking their cars to face the road and wave as their convoy passed. Axel would wave and honk his horn, nudge Roxas to wave with him. Before long, Roxas was grinning at their welcoming parties as he waved. He almost felt like a celebrity.

It was close to ten when Xigbar's voice came over the radio again, as they entered the city limits of Madison, WI. "We're about fifteen minutes out from our destination. Autocross today, and don't forget to check in to get your cards stamped if you want your Long Haul swag." A few voices confirmed over the radio. It had finally stopped raining, and the sun had come out to dry everything.

Their destination turned out to be the grounds around a baseball field, with a large section of pavement roped off for what looked like a road course. There was a queue to enter, and already cars had filled the parking lot and outlying grounds as far as the eye could see. In one section was a collection of semi trucks and trailers. Axel reached over and shook Roxas' shoulder. "Shit, man, look at all these beautiful cars, Rox!" He pointed at the road course. "That's for the autocross, we're going to do that after we check in and get all our magnets and stuff."

"Magnets?" the blond asked.

"Yeah, we take our credentials to all the sponsors to check in." Axel flicked the lanyards hanging from the rearview mirror. "One of them gives us a series of magnets that will make a picture when we put them together at the end of the tour, another with license plates from each place. Another one gives us collectible cards, one each day, which we show on the last day to get our swag bag. Not to mention signing up for all the drawings!"

Roxas groaned. "Sounds boring."

Axel shook his head. "That part won't take long. The rest will be fun, I swear!" He rolled the windows down as they crept through the venue, people in neon vests directing the flow of traffic until they reached open parking spaces in the grass. Some of their party members were already parked and piling out of their cars as Roxas unfolded himself from his own seat. He trailed after Axel as they joined the growing group, waiting for introductions.

"Axel!" A tall man with dun hair in an unusual style practically tackled the redhead. Roxas eyed him skeptically; the hair was in a weird kind of mullet, slicked back on the sides, top standing straight up, and longish down the back of his neck. And he was hanging off of Roxas' best friend in a way that made him bristle. "Who's your buddy, here?" he asked with a grin. His slate-haired passenger hung a little back, looking as bored as Roxas expected to feel during the trip.

"Roxas!" chirped the redhead. "This is Demyx," he indicated the man hanging off of his shoulder, then gestured at his passenger, "and Zexion; guys, this is my best friend, Roxas." The inhabitants of the rest of their convoy had joined them by now, and the short blond gave everyone a quiet wave, unsure where he'd fit into this group of gearheads.

"Oh, so that's the guy Axel's always talking about," a short, young girl said as she walked up. She looked about eighteen, and Roxas decided she must be Kairi or Namine, glad to have remembered someone's name. "I'm Kairi," she confirmed, tucking her wine-colored hair behind an ear. "This is Namine," she added as the other girl joined them, nearly a mirror image of her, but with lighter coloring. Her pale skin was accompanied by white-blond hair. Both were dressed in cut-off shorts and t-shirts with car graphics, and Roxas watched as they hurriedly slathered on sunscreen while they talked.

"Hi," Namine greeted, "nice to meet you! Axel has nothing but good things to say about you. Well, except that you're not really into cars, but we can't all be!" She smiled pleasantly, and Roxas smiled back easily.

The introductions came in a flurry, and Roxas was still having trouble remembering all the names. Xigbar he remembered from his wicked scar and eyepatch, and Larxene as the only other female in his group. She didn't seem so bad, yet, but introduced herself offhandedly. Pink-haired Marluxia seemed friendly, as did a blond man with slicked-back hair named Luxord, while dark-haired Xaldin and blue-blond-haired Saix seemed a little more on the distant side, like Larxene. The group chattered as they meandered to the semi-trailers, Roxas hanging back and, as Axel had predicted, Zexion, too. Somewhat surprisingly, Namine tagged near the rear of the group with them.

"Axel said you're not much of a car person, but I'm sure it won't be too bad," Namine started the conversation.

Zexion nodded. "They have a main stage, and the host, Clarence, can be pretty funny. I get a little miserable, but Dem likes to drag me along, anyway." The young man's voice was low and even, nearly monotone, and Roxas almost found it hard to believe that he found anything funny.

Namine touched his shoulder playfully and laughed, "Don't act like you didn't have fun last year." The slate-haired man just shrugged. "Some of us went last year, and for others this is our first year. Me and Kai, and Zex and Dem went together last year. So we kind of know what to expect. Axel heard us talking about it a while back and wanted come with this year."

Roxas scowled. "He said he read about it in the magazine."

Namine laughed lightly. "In a way he did, he saw it in the magazine that featured last year's Power Tour, when we showed it to him. There was a big group picture we were in from the last day, it's pretty cool."

Roxas tilted his head at all the vehicles surrounding them. "So is this a pretty big deal?"

Zexion shrugged as Namine nodded. "Yeah, kind of. I think last year they had an average of about four thousand cars participating each day, and you know a lot of people are traveling with passengers. I expect it'll be bigger this year. And they come from all over the country!"

Roxas' eyes widened. "For such a long trek, that's quite a few people."

Her head bobbed again, and she let out a sudden squeal, "Oh look guys! It's my dream car!" She pointed excitedly at an old white car that Roxas couldn't identify, and shrilled, "Kaaaiii look!"

Kairi's voice floated from in front of them, "Yeah, I saw!"

Namine began spouting excitedly as she approached the car, "A fifty-five Ford Galaxie, oh, look, it's got a manual transmission! It's so pretty…"

Roxas glanced over at Zexion, and the two exchanged a bored look while the light-haired girl fawned. The group had simply continued ambling along, and the blond went with it, moving a little closer to his red-haired friend, hearing but not really paying attention to their car-centric conversation. His eyes passed over the vehicles on every side, and while he could admit to himself that they all looked pretty cool, he couldn't imagine spending the whole day looking at them, and hoped that wasn't what Axel had in mind. He knew the taller man spent many a Sunday doing just that, and had declined to join in the past. The difference this time was the road trip aspect.

"Roxas!" Axel startled the blond out of his reverie, grabbed his arm. "There's the main stage," he pointed to a rig set up with a large screen on one side, "and the sponsors," and waved his hand to indicate the collection of trucks and trailers. "And here are your credentials," he added, dropping a lanyard over Roxas' head. The blond examined the plastic sleeve hanging off the end, containing a card with information about the event.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" he queried.

"I told you, we gotta check in and get our swag! Got it memorized?" Roxas rolled his eyes at his friend's catchphrase as the redhead tugged on his arm, leading him to a tent next to the main stage. There was a line next to a sign that said "Long Haulers" and pointed to the tent; under it was a table where an attendant signed a spot on their credentials card and handed them a little trading card, featuring a weird looking truck.

"Django?" he asked, looking at it.

"Yeah, that truck was on the tour last year," Namine filled in from behind him. When Roxas looked back at her, she pointed across the midway at another tent, where the truck itself was parked.

Roxas let out a small "Oh," and nodded reflexively.

"C'mon, Rox," Axel had reappeared at his side and was tugging his arm again. "I got a need for speed! We gotta get on that autocross asap! So let's hurry up and get the rest of our stamps!" The redhead was practically jumping up and down like a little kid, and Roxas suppressed a laugh.

"Okay, okay!" he chuckled, letting the taller man drag him to the next place, a brilliant purple tent where they received a magnet and a lanyard sporting a "Royal Purple" logo. The redhead hurried them through two more check-in stations, one where they got another magnet, and one where they time-punched their spot for the first day. They had pulled away from the group, Roxas noticed, but he still hadn't formed much of an opinion of anyone to really care, except maybe the friendly Namine. Axel hopped from foot to foot as they filled out little red tickets from Auto Zone, and then started walking briskly back towards the car. Roxas struggled to keep up with his longer stride, and called to him, "Hey, slow down, Beanpole!"

"Can't keep up, Shortie?" he teased back, slowing his step a fraction. "Just wait 'til you see what speed really is!" He grinned, still walking just ahead of the blond, although he waited for Roxas to get to the car before opening the driver's side door. They both slipped into their seats and Axel's fingers drummed impatiently on the steering wheel as they crept through the grounds and into the autocross queue.

"So autocross is a road course, right?"

Axel's green eyes glittered as he looked at his friend. "Yep! It requires speed and skill and its _fun_ ," he crowed, emphasizing the last word. "And I intend to convert you into a speed-lover by the end of this trip."

"I already like going fast," Roxas defended.

"Not like this," Axel countered. He flipped on the stereo, fiddled with the radio until he found some rock he liked, and cranked it up. Roxas smiled when Axel started singing to a song he liked, and joined in, the two jamming in the car as they moved up in line. Despite its length, they were near the front before too long, about to enter a staging area. Axel turned the music back down as they came alongside an official, rolled his window down as they had a quick exchange about the car and the course. Roxas listened distantly, fiddling with his phone until Axel flicked him in the leg. "We're next!"

"Cool," he murmured, pocketing his phone. He glanced at his friend, who was already buckled up, and belted himself in, too.

"You might want to hold on," he added, indicating the handle above the passenger-side window. Roxas nodded and looped his hand over it loosely while the redhead maneuvered them towards the start of the course. Roxas wasn't prepared when they received their green flag. Axel brought the car up to speed quickly, shifting through the gears smoothly, the sudden forward momentum pushing them both back in their seats. The first turn flung him against the door and Axel cackled manically in the seat next to him. "I told you!" he shouted as his passenger tightened his hold. The redhead let out a crazed whoop as they took the next turn, and Roxas wondered how he managed to keep track of the clutch and the shift stick on top of steering, brake, and gas at such a speed.

"Shit," Roxas hissed, his knuckles white as he held on. He was certain his face was white, too.

" _This_ is speed," the redhead yelled, teeth bared. It would've been loud in the enclosed space, if not for the roar of engine and exhaust working to move the car at their current neck-break pace. He was clearly enjoying himself, comfortable at the wheel as they swerved and dipped through the course. After the initial shock of their takeoff, Roxas was beginning to like the adrenaline rush, too, and when they finished and finally slowed, he was more than amenable to getting back in line with his friend.

"That was actually pretty fun!" he admitted easily.

"We'll go through again so you can memorize that high," Axel smirked.

They ran the course twice more before the redhead was satisfied, the third time setting his best time for the course. By then, Roxas had joined him in whooping as they barreled around corners, and he was almost disappointed when they returned to park next to their party. Some of the cars had been driven off, although whether they'd run the track too or gone somewhere else, the two couldn't tell.

Axel popped the trunk and retrieved a pair of camp chairs, handing one to the blond. "Now we go to the stage and hope to win some free stuff." Even he was coming down from their speed-induced high, his voice low now. Roxas glanced over, saw the green eyes with dilated pupils. Their gazes met, and Axel smiled at the blond. "I promised it wouldn't be all bad, didn't I?" he said soberly.

Roxas ducked his head and returned the smile. "You did."

The redhead clapped him on the back. "It'll only get better."


	2. Drivers to Staging

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter wound up being a bit dialogue-heavy, so yeah. Hopefully you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It's not quite as long as the first chapter, but still a bit longer than my usual fare. If you enjoy my style, hit up my FP account (link on my profile).

**Chapter 2:** _Drivers to Staging_

The two young men made their way back to the midway, Axel in the lead, each loaded with a camp chair. "So why do we need these?" Roxas asked, swinging the bundle so that it bumped his friend.

"We're gonna camp at main stage for a bit to score some swag," Axel declared, bumping the blond back. Roxas bit his lip doubtfully, before remembering Zexion's previous comment about the stage host being funny. As they approached their destination, he noticed that there was already a small collection of camp chairs fanned out in front of the stage, and a clean-cut, dark-haired man was chattering into a microphone.

"So I gotta tell you, I love coming to Wisconsin. Every time I'm here I eat so well." He gestured at his stomach, holding a hand out to indicate a big belly. "These guys know how to eat. Have you had any cheese curds?" The collection of people in front of the stage cheered. "They are so good, fried and all melty, I love them. And they go great with that vitamin B!" Roxas smirked, knowing full well about the Wisconsin treat of fried cheese curds. As far as he knew, it was the only state where they could be found. "Check out this guy's hair!" the man on stage called out suddenly, pointing at Axel, who was setting up the first chair. "Man, he must really like the color red. Hey, let me ask you, is your car red, too? What do you drive, my friend?" He pointed the mic at Axel.

"A Hellcat," the redhead shouted. "A redline one." To Roxas he said, "That's Clarence."

"You hear that folks? He's got one of those Hellcats, and he's proud of it, too. You can always tell a Hellcat owner, they have this swagger in their step," the man demonstrated with an exaggerated stance, and changed his voice to a growl, "'I got a Hellcat!' Those guys love their horsepower, and they're always ready for a race. Watch out if you encounter one on the highway, they'll blow you away!" Axel grinned widely, not even denying it. "What's your name, Mr. Redline Hellcat? Where're you from?"

"Axel, from Brookfield," he shouted back.

Clarence feigned shock. "Axle? You mean to tell me you're named after a _car part_? Did your parents name you that, or did you change it?"

"Parents." He didn't bother to correct the man on the spelling, and Roxas found himself chuckling as they spotted Kairi and Namine and maneuvered over to set their seats up by them.

"Wow, how cool is that? See, this guy gets a cool, manly name like _Axle_ , I'm so jealous. My parents must've been trying for the most boring name ever, because they named me Clarence." He took on a nasally voice, "'Clarence, take the dog for a walk.' People make fun of a name like Clarence. Axel, that's a name you can trust." His voice went deep, "'Axel, go pick up the kids from school for me, will you?'" The audience laughed as Clarence made a few more impressions, mocking his own name and glorifying Axel. "Hey Axel, for being a good sport, I got something for you. I think I even got your colors." He picked something off of a table at the back of the stage and tossed it to the redhead, who caught it easily: a black t-shirt with a red and white design.

Axel grinned and gave him a thumbs-up, before settling down in his chair, next to Roxas. The girls grinned, and Kairi held up a shirt of her own. "Hey, so I saw a couple people's cars were missing. Larxene, Xaldin and Saix, Luxord. Did they go do the autocross or something?" Axel asked, letting the stage fall to the background.

Kairi's grin turned into a frown. "No, I think they went and checked into the hotel already."

Roxas looked on curiously as Axel's eyebrows quirked up. "Already? It's only four!" Roxas glanced at his watch to confirm that, yes, it was already four in the afternoon. The time had flown with Axel's car on the road course. "Didn't you say that they give all the good stuff out after five?"

Namine shrugged. "They didn't really seem interested. They left around one, said they were going to go to lunch and then the hotel."

It was Axel's turn to shrug. "More stuff for us, I guess. But don't you think they're missing out?"

Both girls nodded emphatically. "Xigbar, Marluxia, and Dem and Zex are still around here somewhere, though," Namine added. "I think Dem and Zex were watching you guys at autocross. How'd you do, anyway?"

"Twenty-three-seventeen!" Axel grinned. "I could've done better but I had to slow down for Blondie here, he couldn't handle the speed!" he teased, reaching over to muss his friend's hair.

Roxas batted his hand away, looking affronted. "What! Can too! You probably lost time burning rubber, you freak!"

Kairi and Namine laughed at the exchange, and the darker haired girl backed Roxas up, declaring, "Knowing Mr. _Pyros_ , he was definitely burning rubber!" She winked at Roxas as she referenced Axel's renowned penchant for fire, and he laughed, already feeling comfortable with the two girls.

Axel smiled good-naturedly, but a few minutes after their laughter had died down, he remarked, "So they took off without so much as a good-bye, huh?" His lips were still quirked up, but Roxas wasn't buying the new smile.

"Yeah," Namine murmured, although anything else she might've said was cut off as a commotion on the stage caught everyone's attention.

Roxas eyed the redhead, who had turned back to watch the stage. It was subtle, but he could tell Axel was annoyed: there was an almost imperceptible set to his jaw, and a tension in his shoulders. Maybe he hadn't known the older man long, only a couple years now, but the circumstances that had brought them together had given him the perfect opportunity to learn and recognize his moods. Roxas had been a fresh, new intern, and Axel a new hire, already a couple years out of college. Nothing encouraged a friendship like two lackeys trying to stay afloat during a company regime change. Roxas had survived the internship mostly unscathed, and by now Axel was beginning to climb the company ladder, and both had come out up one friend.

And here Roxas was, doing something he'd never think of doing with anyone other than the redhead. It wasn't so bad, so far. Spending time outside was nice. The autocross had been pretty fun, and the stage guy had proven himself entertaining. His friend was annoyed, though, and he took note of what had caused it and filed it away for later: so-called friends ditching without a word. He hadn't gotten a good vibe from those people to begin with, and this wasn't putting them in his good graces, either. Not that he cared too much, since he doubted he'd socialize with them much after this, but still.

One of the event sponsors had already started giving things away from the stage when Xigbar and Marluxia appeared on the opposite side of Kairi and Namine, hailed with a hearty "Hey guys!" by both girls. They had sat down just in time for Xigbar to answer a question about the sponsor on the stage to earn some free Sta-bil, and a scowl from Axel, who'd been trying to win something for the last half hour. The scarred man only offered back a competitive grin, challenging the redhead to race for it, who scoffed at the offer. "That's a losing bet," Kairi chimed in. "Axel's got more horsepower and you know it."

"I didn't specify what kind of race," the man smirked.

"I'd beat you any time, any place, old man," Axel laughed. "I'll let you keep your _Sta-bil_ ," he drawled the word in a southern accent, "and save you the humiliation of losing."

Their exchange was interrupted as Demyx and Zexion's arrived, the lanky blond announcing his appearance by winding his arms around Roxas' shoulders from behind with a sultry, "Hey cutie!" that had the shorter blond jumping out of his seat.

Roxas was on his feet, spluttering, while Axel et al laughed, although Zexion had only raised an eyebrow. Demyx was chuckling as he wheezed out, "Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy," he composed himself slightly and handed Roxas a slip of paper with a roman numeral on it, "but here's my number, so call me maybe!" The impromptu rendering of the song had Axel and the girls laughing especially hard. Roxas smiled unsteadily, looking down at the slip the taller blond had given him, a bold black "IX" scrawled on it.

Slate-haired Zexion was the one to come to his rescue. "Dem is like that with everyone. _Overly_ friendly," he gave his companion a meaningful look, somehow managing to look both irritated and amused at the same time.

"But he _is_ cute," Demyx whined. "Axel never said he was _this_ cute." He leaned in close to the redhead, "You've been holding out on us."

Axel was giving the other man a dirty look, but Roxas had already screwed his face up in protest. "I don't really think cute is a word to describe me," he protested, while at the same time Zexion smacked the guy.

"Stop calling other guys cute," the slate-haired man intoned flatly.

"Is my Zexy jealous?" Demyx cackled, turning to throw his arms around him. Zexion looked bored as he endured the embrace, and Roxas couldn't help but laugh, too.

"I'm jealous," Marluxia piped up. "I didn't get any Dem hugs today."

"Me neither!" both girls giggled.

"Count me out," Xigbar's gravelly voice proclaimed.

Demyx, still hanging over Zexion's shoulders, made a move to oblige, but stopped as his companion wrapped a hand around his forearm. "Sorry guys, my hugs have been rationed," he chirped. Roxas studied how easy the two men were with each other, and glanced around at the rest of the group, who all seemed pretty comfortable with the two. Maybe they could play it off as Demyx being _overly friendly_ , as only messing around, but Roxas suspected he was seeing genuine affection between the lanky blond and Zexion. His eyes flicked to Axel, who caught his gaze and flashed the usual toothy grin.

Roxas smiled back, before letting his mind wander off, only vaguely aware of the goings-on of the stage, laughing here and there when appropriate. But really he was wondering…why _had_ he agreed to come with Axel on this trip?

It was nearly seven before the giveaways on stage were done, and the group packed their things to head back to the cars. They had all booked rooms in the same hotel, so they drove out as a group, same as they had driven in, with Xigbar's black leading the way. The day hadn't been overly hot, but Roxas was relieved to be in the air-conditioned car nonetheless, and he gulped a cold bottle of water gratefully. He was already starting to dread the southern weather they were bound to encounter. Humidity was something he preferred to live without, but the tradeoff of visiting new places would make it worth it. Or anyway, so he hoped.

"Today was fun, right?" Axel spoke into the quiet of the car. His normally confident tone held a thread of sincerity, making Roxas feel glad that the redhead really wanted him to enjoy himself, rather than just get dragged along for company.

"Yeah, it was pretty cool," he murmured. "Well, a little hot," he conceded, "so I'm glad to be back in the AC!"

Green eyes regarded him for a moment, before returning to the slow-moving traffic leaving the venue. "No wonder, Rox. You're sunburned."

Roxas looked down at his arm, which was, admittedly, quite red. He reached up and scratched at his mess of hair. "I guess I am, a little. I hadn't really noticed." He grimaced, imagining how painful the burn was going to be once his body realized the fact. "Should've put on sunscreen like Namine and Kairi. Should've _packed_ sunscreen," he added wistfully. He looked over at Axel's already-tan skin with envy. "I don't suppose you have any?"

Axel chuckled. "No sunscreen, but I have some aloe gel. I always keep first aid for burns around, just in case." He grinned and lifted his hand off the shifter to show Roxas the scars that flecked his forearm. "I may be a pyro, but I'm not an idiot."

The blond smiled at his friend. "If you say so."

"I do say so!" He flipped his passenger off playfully. "Anyway, we'll stop somewhere and get you some sunscreen for the rest of the trip."

"Thanks. Hey, Axel?"

"Hmm?"

"Are Demyx and Zexion…together?" Roxas asked tentatively. "I mean, Demyx was pretty friendly with everyone, but it was different with Zexion, or anyway it seemed like it."

Axel let out a bark of a laugh. "That's actually pretty toned-down for Dem, believe it or not. But to answer your question, yes." He glanced at the blond sideways, raising an eyebrow. "Why do you ask? Does it bother you?"

"No," he answered evenly. "I was just curious. Anyway, they seem cool. Kairi and Namine, too."

Axel's lips quirked at the edges. "Yeah, those girls are sweet. Cute, too, right?" he baited.

Roxas shrugged. "Yeah, cute, like, little sister cute."

The redhead chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds like them, alright."

A natural silence fell between the two as Axel drove them to the hotel and Roxas gazed out the window. The blond was comfortable enough to doze off, but his stomach nagged at him, reminding him that he hadn't eaten lunch that day. He sighed as they pulled into the hotel parking lot, wishing they could eat first, but the group had already decided to check in before going to find food. When Axel sent him a questioning glance, he pointed at his stomach, which obligingly chose that moment to grumble.

Axel looked a little weary, too, he realized. It had been a long day for everyone, so as Axel checked in, Roxas loaded a luggage cart up without complaint, taking special care not to scratch or ding the car. The redhead had quickly ingrained _that_ into Roxas' memory: don't fuck up the car or you die. Well, maybe not so crudely put, but his friend probably valued the car higher than most things or people, and Roxas imagined that's what the man had really meant when he'd been warned to be careful around it.

Within record time, Axel had checked in and the two friends had unloaded their belongings into a room with two double beds. The rest of their party seemed just as anxious to eat, and unanimously agreed on a local diner near their hotel. Dinner was a more subdued affair, with everyone paying more attention to filling their empty bellies than each other. However, once stomachs had been appeased, the conversation livened up. Roxas found his mind wandering nonetheless, as the main topic was about cars. He passively observed the cheerful back-and-forth about different engines, car brands…he couldn't even keep up. He and Zexion exchanged a look, which ended in an eye-roll on Zexion's part.

He blinked as he heard his name, dragging him into the conversation. "What's that?"

"I said, you got so burned you're almost as red as Axel's hair," Marluxia teased.

"Better red than pink," Xigbar commented dryly.

The pink-haired man shot him a look, while Kairi came back with, "I have some body paint that could fix that." She grinned when the older man let out a harried grumble. "Anyway, Roxas, you can use some of our sunscreen tomorrow if you want," she added. Her blond cousin nodded in agreement.

Roxas gave her a smile. "Thanks. Axel said we'll get some tomorrow, but I'll take you up on it if we don't."

The girls smiled back, and Roxas let himself fade into the background as he munched his fries. He idly checked the messages on his phone: a text each from Pence and Olette, wishing him a nice vacation. Hayner had sent a chain of messages, bitching about everything going wrong at the summer job they shared. No doubt he blamed Roxas, and no doubt he'd get over it with time. The blond rolled his eyes at the thought of his fickle friend and shoved the phone back in his pocket. He was certainly glad to be getting some time away, he decided.

He'd spaced out, thinking of all the things he didn't have to worry about this week, and had missed his bill coming, and, since Axel had picked up his tab, he'd missed it going, too. Their party was setting out again when Roxas noticed he didn't have a check. As soon as he realized it, he shot the redhead a glare, but waited until they were back in the car to say anything.

"You didn't have to do that, you know. I can pay for my own food," he huffed.

The older man shrugged and ran a hand through his red spikes. "Don't worry about it, Rox."

"You're already paying for hotels, gas, everything else. The least I can do is pay for my own food," Roxas protested, blue eyes blazing.

"I'm the one who insisted you come along, so it only seems fair."

"And _I_ agreed to come along. I can take care of myself."

To his credit, Axel looked slightly flustered as they pulled into the hotel lot. "I know that. Anyway, you were zoned out. But you can pay for mine next time if you want."

Roxas didn't reply, and Axel parked the car in a tense silence. It wasn't until they'd both closed their doors that the blond grunted, "I guess," over the roof of the car. He trailed behind the redhead quietly, mulling over his thoughts.

Axel, recognizing the mood, was ready to leave him to it as they entered their room, until he remembered the shorter man's sunburn. Digging a bottle of aloe gel out of a bag, he showed it to the blond and tentatively offered, "I can get the burns you can't see very well here." He laid gentle fingers on the back of Roxas' neck as indication. Blue eyes stared at the redhead flatly a moment, but the blond nodded in assent and turned around. "It'll be easier if you take off your shirt."

Roxas bobbed his head and pulled his shirt over his head, dropping it to the side. He felt his face get hot as his friend spread the cooling gel carefully over the back of his neck, and over the backs of his ears. It felt intimate, especially in the hotel setting. He mentally shook himself. On the other hand, here was Axel, the older man, taking care of him again, even though Roxas could take care of himself. He bristled at the thought all over again, and wordlessly took the proffered aloe when Axel finished.

"I'm going to go ahead and shower," the redhead announced, as Roxas slathered the clear gel on his face and arms. The blond nodded, still giving his friend the silent treatment.

He knew he was being childish, but he hated to rely on other people. Gas and hotel were one thing, Axel would've been paying for those whether Roxas tagged along or not, but the redhead didn't have to pay for his food, too. As a student, Roxas didn't have a lot of pocket money. Especially not when compared to Axel, who'd finished college and been in the work force for a couple years already. The man didn't have to rub it in his face.

Roxas hissed in pain as he tried to lower an oversized shirt over his aloe-sticky, burned neck and debated for a moment if the shirt would be softer than the sheets, before tucking the shirt back into his bag. Black jeans were exchanged for a pair of plaid cotton pants, and he settled himself into bed, more than ready for sleep after the long day.

His eyes had already started to droop when Axel emerged from the bathroom, pulling the blond fully awake again. However, not feeling chatty, he kept his lids lowered, watching the man from under his eyelashes. The red spikes had been defeated by the shower, the man's hair now a darker shade, plastered closely to his neck, dripping rivulets down a bare chest. A pair of cotton pants similar to Roxas' own hung from his slim hips. It wasn't a new sight; the blond had spent many nights on Axel's couch. The expression in the green eyes was what made it different.

Axel had crossed his arms over his chest, looking at Roxas across the room, a wistful sigh escaping his lips at the (supposedly) slumbering blond. His normally sharp features had softened, green eyes unreadable, and he was biting a lip.

The expression lingered in Roxas' mind as he finally, truly slipped into sleep.


End file.
